The Last of Us Creator Details Bella Ramsey's Ellie Audition

HBO's The Last of Us series creator and game director Neil Druckmann details star Bella Ramsey's stunning Ellie audition that landed her the this role.

Neil Druckman, director of the original game and co-creator of the HBO series The Last of Us, details what was unique about Bella Ramsay's audition for Ellie. "The Last of Us" is adapted from the game series of the same name directed by Druckmann. The story follows survivors Joel and Ellie across an apocalyptic America in search of a possible solution to a virus plaguing the world. Ellie appears to be the cure for the virus, as Joel discovers that the girl is immune. This makes Ellie the most important character in The Last of Us, which is why getting the casting right is extremely necessary for the HBO adaptation.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, HBO's "The Last of Us" co-showrunner Druckmann explained how Ramsey proved during the audition that she was the right choice for Ellie. Joel's Pedro Pascal is perfectly cast, so Ellie should obviously mirror that decision. The showrunner revealed that watching Ramsay at the audition felt like "Bella felt so real," not like watching an actor. The Last of Us show creator Craig Mazin reportedly contacted Ramsay's former boss on Game of Thrones, who assured him she was "an absolute joy." Look at Druckmann's Comments follow:

“It was like Ellie realized in live action. It didn’t feel like watching an actor.”

Why Is The Perfect Ellie Choice

Although Joel was the main playable character of the first game, The Last of Us has Ellie as the central protagonist of its universe. When The Last of Us Part II debuted, Ellie was the star of the game. HBO's The Last of Us show features key scenes from the game, as shown in the trailer, which will tell Ellie's journey to become a strong survivor in the sequel game. Series creators Mazin and Druckmann talked about how they plan to adapt the game, and The Last of Us season 1 covers the full first game. The creative team wants to stick with the source material and plans to wrap up when the show runs out, which could be after season 2.

Since the TV series will likely only adapt the two games for two seasons, Ellie's actress needs to be young enough to play Ellie's original innocent game character that viewers can realistically see as an action-heavy version of the sequel game, and each season There is very little time in between. Ramsey's performance as Lyanna Mormont on HBO's own "Game of Thrones" suggests that the team behind "The Last of Us" nailed Ellie's casting.

What Other Actresses Almost Played Ellie In The Past?

While Ramsay seems like a perfect fit for Ellie, two other actresses have approached the role before, though not for the HBO series. A live-action film, The Last of Us, with Spider-Man's Sam Raimi, went into development hell after work began in 2014, but it was never made. One of the actresses who spoke to Druckmann early on about Ellie's role in the film was Ramsay's Game of Thrones co-star Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark in the show. Another actress had to do a form reading for this role - Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart). Despite not getting the role, Dever was a popular fan cast for Ellie on social media, however, when The Last of Us series came out, Dever and previous Ellie candidates were no longer under consideration.

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